1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to structures for the packaging of cylindrical structures. More particularly, the present invention relates to fabricated supports for stabilizing the position of cylindrical structures, such as rolls of material, and other structures having at least some cylindrical features, during transport.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Web materials such as plastic film are used for a variety of purposes including the sealing of other materials. Web materials are typically fabricated in roll form and used in their particular applications in the same form. However, such cylindrical products are often difficult to transport because they can become displaced relatively easily when subject to the conditions of roadway travel. In addition, it is undesirable to stack heavy cylindrical objects directly on one another because their weight can cause deformation. For that reason, cylindrical objects such as web rolls are ordinarily retained by supports that space adjacent ones apart and prevent rolling movement. Such supports must be fabricated so that product damage is minimized. Failure to minimize damage during transport can cause defects that prevent use of the product for its intended purpose. Further, since it is most efficient to stack multiple layers of product for a single transport effort, the support must be strong enough to enable multi-layered stacking that does not cause product deformation.
Some supports for cylindrical products have been fabricated of polystyrene. The polystyrene supports generally provide sufficient strength to adequately protect a plurality of web rolls, for example, stacked together for transport. However, it is well known that polystyrene and other polymeric-based products are generally perceived as environmentally undesirable in that they are stable and unlikely to degrade over a long period. For that reason, there has been increasing interest in fabricating such web supports, and other sorts of packaging for that matter, that are fabricated of more nature-friendly materials, including recyclable materials, including pulp-based supports. Examples of molded pulp supports are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,331 and 5,934,467. Those references describe molded roll supports having recesses and depressions that provide structural strength to the rolls and that also provide retention sites for cradling the rolls to be transported.
For the most part, the present molded supports have only one side (the smooth side) configured to support products having cylindrical characteristics, while the other side (the rough side) is designed to provide suitable structural support. In order to enable multi-layer stacking, the molded supports are formed of pairs of support structures hingedly connected together so that the smooth sides face outwardly while the rough sides are placed back-to-back. In that way, the rolls to be supported come in contact only with the smooth sides of the double, hinged, support.
Unfortunately, the supports that presently exist are not completely effective in preventing roll damage during transport. Specifically, the support materials have some compressibility so that when a plurality of relatively heavy objects are placed on them, there is some thickness reduction. In addition, it is ordinary practice for transporters to place banding straps around the perimeter of a stack of objects. The banding is tightened to prevent individual objects in the stack from slipping. However, that tightening causes additional compression of the support material, particularly the hinged support structures. During transport, that additional compression that occurs after banding can result in less than complete retention of individual objects. As a result, the banding is loosened and the objects are prone to spinning and other forms of displacement that can cause in damage.
Therefore, what is needed is a cylindrical object support that provides suitable retention capability to minimize object movement throughout the transport process. What is also needed is such an object support that can be fabricated of conventional materials including, but not limited to, pulp-based materials. Further, what is needed is such an object support that can be used to retain multiple stacks of objects with a reduction in the types of compressive characteristics experienced by hinged supports.